In large processing machines, one or more continuous leader belts are provided for transporting the photographic material to be processed, for example, photographic paper, along a processing path through the machine. These leader belts are located to one side of the processing path so as not to interfere with the movement of the material along the processing path. The leading end of the paper or other photographic material to be processed is attached to the moving leader belt by means of a metal clip. The material to be processed is threaded through a loop or slot formed in the clip, and the clip is attached to the moving belt.
When the clip is attached to the leader belt, it grips the belt so that it is held in a bowed or buckled configuration. This means that the belt is always deformed in regions where it is gripped by clips. Moreover, it may be difficult to grasp the moving belt so that the clip can be attached.
Furthermore, with the recent trend to reduce the amount of processing solution used when processing photographic material, large processing machines, of the type described above, have been adapted to operate with lower volumes of processing solution. In order to obtain the lower volumes, the width of the processing tanks in such machines need to be substantially reduced so that the material passes through a narrow processing channel which defines the processing path. This means that there is less clearance for the clip carrying the material to pass along the processing path as it is taken through the machine by the leader belt. As a result, the clip can come off the belt and/or jam in the narrow processing channel. Furthermore, the clip may bend in the narrow processing channels if it does not remain at approximately 90.degree. to the belt. The material being processed may also tear as result of the clip detaching itself from the belt or jamming in the processing channel.
When these problems occur, the machine has to be stopped so that the clip and/or material can be recovered from the machine. This results in lost processing time, particularly if the machine is a multi-strand machine capable of processing several strands of material at one time. Moreover, components in the machine may need to be removed therefrom so that access to the clip and paper can be obtained, many of the components being heavy and difficult to lift.
Furthermore, clips as known in the art cause damage to the leader belt if they are not attached correctly or if they become dislodged from an optimum position on the belt. In particular, the belt is often distorted in the region where it is gripped by the clip.